Cassandra Wilson: Glamoured (2004)

Mike Perciaccante

CD/DVD Reviewer since 2002

Mike Perciaccante has been contributing to All About Jazz since 2002. He also contributes to many other magazines across the country.

Recent articles (116 total)

Published: January 16, 2004

Cassandra Wilson possesses one of the most recognizable voices in modern jazz. On Glamoured, she again delivers a wonderfully realized album with just the right mix of well-chosen, eclectic covers (Sting's "Fragile," Willie Nelson's "Crazy," Muddy Waters' "Honey Bee" and Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay") and immensely catchy originals ("Heaven Knows" "On This Train," "I Want More" and "Sleight Of Time").

Glamoured is a bluesy affair. Much of the album is centered on the feelings of love, lost love, fidelity and emotion. In short, blues themes. Wilson delivers her brand of jazzy blues in her trademark smoky voice so well that if Glamoured wasn't her fourteenth release, Wilson would be hailed as the new female Voice of The Blues. One listen to Wilson's version on Luther Ingram's classic "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Wanna Be Right)"—which is the best cut on the CD—illustrates that point better than any review or reviewer ever could. Wilson hits all the right notes. Her performance is soulful, joyous, painful, moving and passionate.

As anyone who has ever spent some time in the jazz and blues-drenched American South (whether it be Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, or Mississippi) knows the music of that region is all about feelings, history and attitude. Wilson recorded much of Glamoured in Jackson, Mississippi, her hometown. Being home, among friends, must have allowed her a comfort level that many artists strive for but don't often achieve. The sound on the CD is comfortable, but it is infused with a charm, carefree attitude, sensuous production, funky rhythms and riffs that other artists would die for. It is obvious that Wilson enjoyed the creative process associated with the assembling of Glamoured.

Glamoured is possibly one of the best CDs of the decade. It certainly is one of the best of its kind—a fantastic mixture of blues, R&B, pop and jazz created by and sung by one of the greatest vocalists of our time.

Track Listing: 1. Fragile (Sting) - 4:37 2. Sleight of Time (Wilson) - 4:12 3. I Want More (Sotti/Wilson) - 4:21 4. If Loving You Is Wrong (Banks/Hampton/Jackson) - 5:29 5. Lay Lady Lay (Dylan) - 5:08 6. Crazy (Nelson) - 3:02 7. What Is It? (Wilson) - 3:19 8. Heaven Knows (Wilson) - 5:06 9. Honey Bee (Waters) - 4:48 10. Broken Drum (Wilson) - 4:14 11. On This Train (Sotti/Wilson) - 4:37 12. Throw It Away (Lincoln) - 4:36

Personnel: Cassandra Wilson - Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals; Herlin Riley - Drums, Washboard; Terri Lyne Carrington - Drums; Reginald Veal - Bass (Acoustic), Bass (Upright); Calvin "Fuzz" Jones - Bass (Acoustic); Jeff Haynes - Percussion; Brandon Ross - Banjo, Guitar; Gregoire Maret - Harmonica; Fabrizio Sotti - Guitar.

Record Label: Blue Note Records
Style: Vocal